Loei

The prefix ‘loei’ means ‘very’, e.g. ‘loeihard’ (very loud/hard) and is derived from the verb ‘loeien’ in its obsolete meaning of ‘hard tekeergaan’ (which means someting like ‘to carry on with force’ however is mostly used in the translation of ‘to rant/rave’, to storm). Nowadays the verb ‘loeien’ has two common meanings:
– to howl/whine/wail (wind, siren);
– to moo (cow). (The sound a cow makes (‘a moo’) however is a ‘boe’ in Dutch.)
So now it is obvious what inspired the owners of the ‘Yoghurt Barn’ in Amsterdam to call their product ‘loeilekker’.

Note that ‘loei’ is a general prefix however you will mostly encounter the following examples: loeihard, loeizwaar, loeiheet/warm, loeisterk. In the photo ‘loeilekker’ is written as two words. The reason may be to emphasize the pun, or to make it easier to read (as ‘loeilekker’ is not a common usage of ‘loei’). It should however be written as one word.

Yoghurt Barn in de Pijp met de slogan 'loei lekker'

Photo taken on Eerste van der Helststraat – Amsterdam

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Minibieb

A ‘minibieb’ is the Dutch version of a ‘little free library’. The noun ‘bieb’ is a colloquialism for ‘bibliotheek’ (‘library’) and is the default in spoken informal Dutch, for example:
“Wat ben je aan het doen?” – “Ik ben aan het studeren in de bieb.”

‘Minibiebs’ are becoming more popular in Dutch cities. The sign in the photo reads: ‘Gratis lenen of ruilen’: borrow for free, or swap.

Een minibieb in Amsterdam Minibieb: Gratis lenen of ruilen

Photo taken on Pieter Lastmankade – Amsterdam

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Examentijd

The ‘examentijd’ (final exams period) has come to an end for secondary school pupils in the Netherlands. The ‘examentijd’ roughly takes place in May and June. If one graduates, it is customary to raise the Dutch flag together with the school bag. The photo shows that alternative flags are possible, however it is the first time I encounter one 🙂 (In this case the flag of the city of Amsterdam.)

Een Amsterdamse vlag hangt uit met tas na slagen voor het examen

Photo taken on Cornelis Anthoniszstraat – Amsterdam

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Nationale Borreldag

Today it is ‘Nationale Borreldag’ in the Netherlands. But of course we ‘borrel’ whenever we can, preferably catching some sunshine on an outdoor terrace. Along with the ‘borrel’ go ‘hapjes’: bites/snacks.

This photo (that I took last Monday on Amsterdam’s Schinkelhaven terrace) shows some of the popular options and has a funny spelling error. A ‘stengel’ is a ‘cane’ or ‘stalk’ (of a plant) and is used in the word ‘kaasstengel’ (a snack in the form of cheese (‘kaas’) flavoured sticks). A ‘tengel’ however is slang for a hand. So a mother could snap at her child: “En nu blijf je met je tengels van de kaasstengels af!”

For more info on ‘borrel’ check out Borrelpraat.

Borrelmenu op terras met drankjes en hapjes

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